Conventionally, clothes hangers include a hook element and a pair of legs extending downwardly and outwardly therefrom. A horizontal bar may extend between the lowermost ends of the legs. A garment is positioned over the legs and the hook element is subsequently secured to an elevated supporting rod.
The usefulness of conventional clothes hangers with clothes racks located in airplanes, automobiles, trains, ships, luggage and the like is limited because these clothes racks are commonly jostled about, causing conventional hangers to inadvertently detach therefrom.
A variety of hangers have been proposed which include a hook element and a closure or keeper element operably connected thereto for preventing the hanger from becoming accidentally dislodged from the supporting rod. The following patent documents are directed to clothes hangers of this type: U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,563,660; 1,636,264; 1,705,276; 2,153,439; 2,693,303; 2,877,941; 3,866,809; 3,972,455; 4,008,835; 4,034,902; 4,155,493; 4,265,380; 4,517,709; 4,553,294; and 4,685,571; and Swedish patent document No. 113,779. However, previously proposed locking clothes hangers have a number of disadvantages inherent thereto. For example, when boarding or departing from a plane, train or the like, it is important that an individual be able to quickly secure or remove clothes hangers and the garments suspended therefrom from clothes racks or the like. Moreover, since a passenger boarding or departing from a plane or train is often carrying other packages, it is desirable to be able to hang or remove the clothes hangers with the use of a single hand. Previously known locking hangers are extremely difficult to attach or remove from a coat rack or other supporting element. Further, two hands are normally required to either secure or disengage these clothes hangers from the supporting rack.
In those instances where the coat rack or supporting element remains stationary or is not subject to disruptive forces, it is advantageous to be able to readily remove the closure element therefrom. The closure or keeper elements previously used are either permanently secured to the hanger or are difficult to detach therefrom.
Finally, it is noted that a number of the locking elements previously proposed have required significant modifications to the conventional construction of clothes hangers. Therefore, such locking devices are likely to substantially increase the costs of manufacturing clothes hangers employing the same.